8. Quincy Smith

A former Allen & Co. banker much-beloved in Silicon Valley, Quincy took the top digital job at CBS a year ago. He's since embarked on a frenzy of dealmaking, buying a series of sites small (Wallstrip, $5 million) and large (Last.fm, $280 million). He has also become the most visible and insightful digital executive in traditional media.

One deal Quincy hasn't done: Agreeing to distribute CBS video through NBC and Fox's Hulu. That's because Quincy seems most interested in distributing CBS' stuff as widely as possible rather than locking it into one site and distributor, a strategy that makes sense to us.